Student Drone Hits 491 mph in Unofficial Record
Georgia Tech aerospace student Tomas Salvo's jet-powered Reaper drone unofficially topped a previous 465 mph world record.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Robotics
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Tomas Salvo, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech, unofficially set a jet-powered drone speed record of 491 mph with his Reaper aircraft. Salvo is now aiming to win the $800,000 Boom Prize posted by Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl.
Why it matters
The result surpasses the prior 465 mph drone speed world record and shows that a small, low-cost build assembled in a dorm room can compete at the frontier of high-speed aircraft. It also positions Salvo for a major industry prize tied to supersonic aviation.
The Reaper uses a 250N jet engine with a titanium 3D-printed nozzle and weighs 11 pounds in total, carrying a 1.2kg payload while reaching 491 mph. Its climb rate reaches 6,500 feet in under 20 seconds, and it can fly 31 miles at full speed; the record's official verification status has not been stated.
The players
Tomas Salvo
Tomas Salvo is an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech who built the Reaper drone in his dorm room.
Blake Scholl
Blake Scholl is the CEO of Boom Supersonic, the company that posted the $800,000 Boom Prize.
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, where Salvo is enrolled in aerospace engineering.
The details
The Reaper's fuselage is a custom-molded carbon fiber shell with a laser-cut internal structure, and a titanium 3D-printed nozzle replaces the stock nozzle so the engine can sit further forward. Salvo raised $20,000 and then sought an additional $50,000 through crowdfunding in August.
Timeline
- August: Salvo sought $50,000 in crowdfunding after raising $20,000.
Roadmap
The Reaper project targeted Niels Herbrich's world record for the fastest jet-powered RC aircraft, which is the benchmark a low-cost student build is now pressing against. Mach Initiative estimates a top speed of 550 mph for the Kingchaser, a comparison that frames how far this result sits from the upper end of current small-jet performance.
For readers, the practical takeaway is that small, low-cost jet drones are becoming buildable by individuals and students rather than only large research programs. Anyone following high-speed drone or aerospace hobby projects can now track a benchmark that was previously out of reach at this price point.
The takeaway
A low-cost, student-built aircraft reaching 491 mph signals that jet-powered drone performance is increasingly accessible outside major aerospace firms. Readers interested in the field can watch how this result is verified and whether it advances toward the Boom Prize.
Further reading
Explore more Robotics coverage to see how drone and autonomous aircraft development is progressing in Georgia.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tom's Hardware.
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